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Learn to Fly! Aerial Maneuvers with a UAV

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Learn to Fly! Aerial Maneuvers with a UAV

Activity Sections

Overview

Introduction

Students learn basic maneuvers with a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or "drone"), flying forward and backward, left and right. Next, students fly the UAV to a (slightly) distant target and attempt to land in a designated area.

We recommend that students complete the Learn to Fly! UAV Flight School activity and the Learn to Fly! UAV First Flight activity as prerequisites to this activity. In UAVFlight School, students learn basic aviation terminology and UAV controls. In UAVFirst Flight, students learn how to take off, hover and land a UAV and practice safe flying procedures.

Credits

This activity was created by Randy Russell of the UCAR Center for Science Education as part of Engineering Experiences, a National Science Foundation-funded ITEST project (Award #1513102) with the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL). Engineering Experiences is designed to introduce and engage middle-school students to engineering during out-of-school time, and foster long-term interest and pathways into the field. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this activity are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Grade Level

This activity is best suited for students in middle school or high school. Some upper elementary students are probably capable of conducting this activity as well.

Time Required

Teacher Preparation Time

30 minutes to practice flying the UAV and to prep UAVs for student use (charging batteries, etc.).

Class Time

30 minutes or more - The amount of class time depends on how many students can do the activity at the same time, which depends on the number of students in your class, the number of UAV's available, the number of adults available to supervise student groups, and the amount of space available for flying.

Learning Goals

Students increase their ability to fly a UAV.

Activity Objectives

Students perform a simple flight (fly forward, fly backward, fly to the left and right).

an open space in which to fly. We recommend flying indoors in a large open space like a gymnasium. Minimally, an area with a size of at least 20x30 feet and a ceiling height of 15 feet or more should suffice.

materials to make a landing zone target. The target should have an inner and an outer zone, like a bullseye target in archery. For example, a hula hoop (diameter of approximately 3 feet) is a good size for the inner part of the target; a throw rug about twice the size (6-8 feet across) of the hula hoop would make a good outer target (with the hula hoop placed on top of it in the center).

optional: spare UAV controllers, to allow students to practice control motions while waiting for their turn to fly the UAV

optional: one or more copies of the Controller Diagram which shows the joystick motions on the controller that produce specific motions by the UAV

Preparation

Conduct a test flight before working with students in order to become familiar with controller, make sure the space in which the flying will take place is adequate, and work out any other minor "kinks."

Set up the target landing zone (hula hoop and throw rug, or whatever you are using) towards one end of the area you have available for flying. Ideally, the landing zone target should be at least 20 feet away from the edge of the flight zone where the Pilot is standing.

If your UAV model includes a detachable camera, remove that from the UAV for this activity. Though not strictly essential, we recommend this to make the UAV lighter (which will make batteries last longer) and help students focus on learning to fly and maneuver (instead of taking photos or videos).

Step-by-step Instructions (for the teacher)

Assign Roles to Team Members

Have students form groups of three. Explain that there are three student roles in this activity: Pilot, Range Safety Officer (RSO), and Spotter. Describe these roles to students.

The Pilot uses the hand-held controller to fly the UAV, power up the UAV's propellers in preparation for flight, and power down the propellers after the UAV lands.

The Range Safety Officer has three responsibilities.

Make sure all students involved with the flight wear safety goggles.

Verify that the launch area and airspace are clear before the flight and signal to the Pilot "all clear" when ready.

Alert the Pilot if any safety hazards arise during the flight.

The Spotter helps the Pilot by suggesting UAV movements or commands during flights.

Novice Pilots may find it challenging to quickly notice how the UAV should move and then translate that desired motion into the appropriate control commands to issue by moving the joysticks on the controller.

The Spotter can assist the Pilot by calling out desired motions (e.g. "move forward") or the desired commands (e.g. "roll right").

The Pilot is ultimately responsible for flying the UAV, so she can choose to follow the Spotter's suggestions or ignore them.

During any flight, the Spotter may be especially helpful to the Pilot if the UAV drifts off course; moving towards the edge of the safe Flight Area, or towards the Pilot (which may cause some student Pilots to become flustered). The Spotter may be able to notice impending problems sooner than the Pilot who is concentrating on the mechanics of controlling the UAV.

During the second part of this activity ("Second Flight - Fly to a Target and Land"), the Spotter can help the Pilot position the UAV more precisely above the Target Landing Area before attempting a landing. Viewing the Target Landing Area from a distance, it can be difficult for the Pilot to determine if the UAV is over the Landing Area because depth perception diminishes as the UAV moves further away. The Spotter can move closer to the UAV and properly gage this distance.

Discuss as a class where would be the most helpful place for the Spotter to stand. (Make sure the location is safely outside of the Flight Area!

In general, the Spotter might want to stand near the Pilot. This makes it easier for the Pilot to hear the Spotter's commands. A location near the Pilot, facing the same direction, makes it easier for the Spotter to call out motion commands that are appropriate for the Pilot. Commands such as "move left" or "roll right" are simpler to communicate if the Spotter and Pilot are facing the same direction. However, in the second portion of this activity ("Second Flight - Fly to a Target and Land"), it is better to have the Spotter stand somewhere near the Target Landing Area (safely outside of the Flight Area) to help the Pilot overcome diminished depth perception when trying to judge the distance to the Target Landing Area.

Explain to students that they will rotate through the roles. The RSO becomes the next Pilot, the Pilot becomes the next Spotter, and the Spotter becomes the next RSO, with each students assuming these roles when it is their group's turn.

Students might be reluctant to serve in the RSO role. You may want to ask for a volunteer for this role (or may even have to assign a student), and have that student serve as RSO while the teacher demonstrates the flight. The student who volunteered to serve as RSO could then be rewarded by being the first to have a turn as Pilot.

Prepare UAV for Flight

First Flight - Basic Maneuvers

Note: Demonstrate the steps below and then have students take turns flying the UAV following the steps.

Place the UAV in the center of the space you have available for flying.

The student who is the first Pilot the UAV controller.

Designate a Range Safety Officer and a Spotter for this flight.

When it is safe to fly, have the Range Safety Officer indicate to the Pilot that she can take off.

The Pilot should control the UAV to take off by pushing the left joystick forward.

The Pilot may need to use the right joystick controls (pitch and roll) to compensate for the UAV's tendency to drift out of position.

The Pilot should control the UAV to have it fly forward (away from the Pilot) a few feet by pushing the right joystick forward.

Stop the forward motion by releasing the right joystick.

Fly the UAV backward (towards the Pilot) several feet by pulling the right joystick backward. Make sure to stop the motion (by releasing the right joystick) well before reaching the Pilot's location.

If necessary, fly forward to return the UAV to the middle of the area in which you are flying.

Fly the UAV to the right several feet by pushing the right joystick to the right (causing the UAV to roll, and move, right). Stop flying right by releasing the joystick.

Next, fly the UAV several feet to the left by pushing the right joystick to the left. Stop flying left by releasing the joystick.

If necessary, fly right a little again to return the UAV to the middle of the area in which you are flying.

Finally, the Pilot should land the UAV as gently as she can and power down the propellers.

Second Flight - Fly to a Target and Land

Tell the students that the goal of the second flight is to take off, fly across the room and land as close as possible to the center of a Target Landing Area. Tell the students that this challenge is harder than they might imagine, and encourage them to not be discouraged if they struggle to make as precise of a landing as they hope for.

Have the Pilot stand near an edge (but outside of!) the area designated for flying the UAV.

Have the Spotter stand somewhere near the Target Landing Area (but outside of the Flight Area!).

Turn on the power on the UAV and the controller.

Place the UAV inside the flight area, several feet in front of the Pilot.

Both the Pilot and the UAV should be on the opposite side of the flight area from the Target Landing Area. The UAV should be about 20 feet away from the center of the Target Landing Area.

When the Range Safety Officer signals that it is safe to fly, the Pilot should control the UAV to take off.

The Pilot should fly the UAV across the flight area and make it hover above the Target Landing Area.

The Pilot should remain in place, not following the UAV as she flies it. Part of the challenge of this activity is being able to control the UAV from a distance. The Pilot may find it a bit challenging to accurately gauge the precise distance to the UAV when it gets 20 feet away, which adds to the difficulty of making a precise landing.

The Spotter should help the Pilot by verbally giving directions to help the Pilot steer the UAV to a spot above the Target Landing Area. These directions might include statements about which way the UAV should move (e.g. "move forward") or direct instructions about control motions for the Pilot to use on the controller (such as "roll right"). The students should decide for themselves how to communicate with each other.

The Pilot (with help from the Spotter) should attempt to land the UAV somewhere within the Target Landing Area.

Once the UAV has landed, the Pilot should stop the propellers from spinning (by holding down the left joystick).

Options

You may want to assign point values for landings in different parts of the Target Landing Area, especially if some of your students are competitive and you feel it would help motivate them. For example, landing with at least one leg of the UAV on the outer part of the target might count as 10 points, landing entirely within the outer part might be 20 points, getting at least one leg on the inner bull's-eye part of the target could be 50 points, and entirely within the inner bullseye might be 100 points.

Depending on the number of students in your class, the number of UAVs your class has to fly, and the length of time you have for this activity, you may want to have a time limit for each student's flight. About 2 or 3 minutes might make a good time limit, but feel free to adjust that to fit your circumstances. A time limit can make the activity more exciting, and reflects common real-world situations where accomplishing the mission within a given time is a necessity. However, you might instead want to encourage your students to be careful, precise, under control and methodical in their flying, not racing to get across the Flight Area as quickly as possible in an out-of-control fashion. A time limit could be counterproductive. Use your discretion. In any case, battery life might impose a natural time limit, requiring the Pilot to land before running out of charge on the UAV's battery. The lights on many models of UAVs begin blinking when the battery is nearly discharged; this visual cue can bring a sudden urgency and excitement to the end of a flight.

The UAV often bounces or hops as the Pilot attemtps to land it gently. You should establish a rule before flights begin about how to handle such "touch-and-go" landings. You may decide that the Pilot only gets one shot at a landing, and that they must either land immediately when they touch down or otherwise be disqualified on their flight attempt. You could allow the Pilot a few, perhaps 2 or 3, attempts to land that involve touching down, before invoking a "failed flight" ruling. Finally, you could allow the Pilot as many tries as she wishes, and only count the final resting place of the UAV once the propellers have been shut down for scoring or "mission success" purposes. This rule might be good to explore when the teacher tests this activity before doing it with students.

Assessment

There are several times during this activity when you can assess students performance. Proper actions by the students result in successful flights, while inappropriate behaviors are likely to result in poor flights.

Note how the students (Pilot, Range Safety Officer and Spotter) determine how they will communicate during flight. Provide suggestions to them as necessary.

What signals will the Range Safety Officer give the Pilot to show that it is safe to take off? What signals will the RSO give if the Flight Area becomes unsafe during flight or if the UAV drifts too close to the edge of or outside of the Flight Area?

What signals will the Spotter use to provide suggestions to the Pilot? Will the suggestions describe desired motions (e.g. "move forward" or "move left") or recommended control commands (e.g. "roll right" or "pitch up")?

Does the team successfully complete the series of simple maneuvers in the first part of this activity ("First Flight - Basic Maneuvers")?

Does the team successfully fly the UAV to the Target Landing Area (an part of the target) and make a reasonably gentle landing in the second part of this activity ("Second Flight - Fly to a Target and Land")?

Does the team practice safe flying procedures?

Background & Extensions

Teaching Tips

Safety

Avoid wind (we recommend flying in a large indoor open space such as a school cafeteria or gymnasium)

Before flying indoors, check the space you plan to use for safety. Are there any light fixtures, A/V equipment or other sensitive objects suspended from the ceiling that could be damaged if the UAV collided with them? Are there any fire sprinkler heads that might be set off if disturbed by the UAV, flooding the room? Carefully inspect the space for hazards and fragile objects that could be damaged by the UAV. A gymnasium can be a good choice for indoor flying since the fixtures in a gym are generally designed to withstand being hit by objects heavier than a small UAV, such as basketballs.

Before each flight, check to make sure the student Pilot knows how to quickly land the UAV and how to quickly stop the UAV's propellers. In the event of a crash, sometimes the propellers will continue to spin (if the UAV is leaning against a wall or is upside down) until the Pilot turns off the propellers. In the case of the SYMA UAV model we used while developing this activity, the Pilot must pull the left joystick towards herself and hold it for a couple of seconds until the UAV propellers stop. Check the instructions for your UAV to make sure you know your model works. Students can become a bit flustered when a UAV crashes, so it is a good idea to review this "emergency" shut down procedure immediately before each flight.

Whenever a student who is inexperienced at Piloting is controlling the UAV, it is important for the teacher to be near the Pilot and offer assistance as necessary during the flight. In the event of an unsafe situation, help the student in need or take control from the Pilot to ensure that everyone is safe

Practice at low altitudes

Set and observe flights in safe places with boundaries clear of hazards